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Decreasing Supply

Hello. My little one will be 3 months on the 31st. So he's just shy of it. I am working full time and pumping as often as I can at work (usually once every 3 to 4 hours.) My son is having no problems whatsoever, and he is starting to sleep a little longer through the night. (Last night he slept 5 hours straight, ate and then slept for another 4).

My concern is with the pumping. When I first came back to work I had an extremely healthy supply. I could pump 8 oz in 10 minutes during my first pump of the day. Then slowly through out the day the amount pumped decreased. But my concern is, it seems almost over night the amount I am pumping has diminished drastically. This morning, my first pump of the day I was only able to get 2.5oz in 10 minutes. I am using a Medela Pump In Style.

Yesterday I managed to get 3 and 3.5 oz through out the day which is good, because on MD advice (since he is gaining weight so plentily) we are only bottle feeding him 2.5oz of expressed milk each feeding. And he seems happy with that. But I am wondering if I should be concerned that my supply has so drastically changed. I know right now I am still able to at least pump enough for a feeding each time which is good, but I worry that will continue to drop. The thought is heart breaking because I had intentions of nursing for a year.

Re: Decreasing Supply

What you're experiencing is pretty common for a mom who must pump a lot of the time. When mom can nurse exclusively, she can rely on her baby to maintain her supply at the right level by nursing more often and draining the breast more completely when he needs more milk. When she must pump, she needs to mimic that sort of feeding pattern using the pump. Here are some things which should help you produce more milk:

1. Pump more often. Every 3-4 hours during the workday might not be enough. And now that your baby is sleeping longer at night you might want to add some sessions in during the evening.
2. Pump for longer. If you've been pumping 20 minutes, you might want to pump for 20.
3. Make sure your pump in tip-top shape, and that you have the correct shield size to ensure maximum stimulation.
4. Use a better pump: a hospital-grade rental might give you an output boost.
5. Review your contraception choices: for some moms, hormonal contraception can put a damper on supply.

Re: Decreasing Supply

Most of those things aren't an option. I work in the medical field and getting off the floor to even pump as often as I am is kind of a luxery. I can't afford to rent a hospital grade pump after spending $350 on my Medela. I can extend pumping times but a little but not by that much. I can try adding some pumping sessions in the evening.

Again, it's not easy finding time to even pump as much as I am. There is limitted space to pump in this facility. It's a dialysis unit with very high exposure risk so there are only so many places I am even willing to pump and they are not always available.

Re: Decreasing Supply

Also*** with the medela website explanation of how breast shields should fit, it's slightly confusing. When they are talking about how the nippled should look inside the shield, are they talking about during pumping or before? Because mine swell up as soon as I start and the base of the nipple rubs the sides of the tube but nothing else does. Is that good or should I use a bigger size?